1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of internal combustion engines, and to the particular field of relative piston cylinder/crankshaft orientation of internal combustion engines.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Efficiency in internal combustion engines has always been an important concern to engine designers. Operating efficiency is important to internal combustion designers for several reasons, including fuel economy, engine reliability, exhaust gas control and the like.
Accordingly, the internal combustion engine art contains many examples of internal combustion engines which are intended to improve operating efficiency. However, with the increasing demands being placed on modern internal combustion engines, further improvements are needed.
Therefore, there is a need for an internal combustion engine which operates more efficiently than presently-available internal combustion engines.
One area in which improved internal combustion engine efficiency can be realized is in the power stroke of the engine. if more power can be obtained from a power stroke, internal combustion engine efficiency will be improved over presently-available internal combustion engines.
To this end, the internal combustion engine art contains designs that offset a piston cylinder with respect to a crankshaft in order to increase the efficiency of power transfer between the piston and the crankshaft during the power stroke of the piston. However, while somewhat effective, the simple offsetting of the piston cylinder with respect to the crankshaft does not significantly increase power efficiency because the power stroke is not increased in such internal combustion engine design.
Therefore, there is a need for an internal combustion engine in which the efficiency of the power stroke of the piston is increased.
It is a main object of the present invention to improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines.
It is another object of the present invention to improve the efficiency of the power stroke of an internal combustion engine piston.
These, and other, objects are achieved by an internal combustion engine comprising a piston cylinder having a longitudinal axis and a reference plane which contains the longitudinal axis, a crankshaft having a longitudinal axis and an axis of rotation around the longitudinal axis, a reference point on the crankshaft which moves between a twelve o""clock location and a three o""clock location as the crankshaft rotates about the axis of rotation, a reference plane in the crankshaft that contains the twelve o""clock location and the six o""clock location on the crankshaft, a piston movably mounted in the piston cylinder to move in a power stroke within the piston cylinder, a connecting rod connecting the piston to the crankshaft and transferring power to the crankshaft from the piston during the power stroke of the piston, and the reference plane of the piston cylinder being oriented at an oblique angle to the reference plane of the crankshaft.
By using the internal combustion engine embodying the teaching of the present invention, the top dead center point at a wrist pin location will remain the same as in the prior art, but the bottom dead center location is moved over to place a more direct force on the crankshaft in the downside power stroke. A gain in degrees of crankshaft rotation will be realized on both power and intake strokes, while the degree of crankshaft rotation on exhaust and compression will be less. The engine embodying the teaching of the present invention moves the cylinder centerline bottom dead center location over to align the motion of the piston in a more direct angle for the transfer of force to the crankshaft.
There will be no increase in cost of manufacture, no new material needed and no special training is required to maintain the engine embodying the present invention.
Thus, the power stroke of the internal combustion engine is improved because it is lengthened and power is applied to the crankshaft in a more effective manner.